I’m a quantitative social scientist with extensive experience conducting and communicating end-to-end research on topics related to race, ethnicity, identity, inequality, experimental data, and survey methodology.
Though I approach my work with the rigor and systems-oriented perspective of an expert researcher, my understanding of and commitment to these topics stems from my own positionality as a Latinx person in the United States. As a child of immigrants from a low-income, racially segregated neighborhood who went on to earn a PhD from Princeton University, I’ve witnessed the devastating consequences of social inequality up close and understand the urgent need to use every tool available to break down barriers to equity and justice.
My mission is to leverage my training in quantitative analysis and social science, in concert with my unique lived experiences, to deliver data-driven insights that cut through complexity and lead to practical action, equitable outcomes, scalable solutions, and lasting impact.
Currently, I am an Insights Partner specializing in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the collaborative software company Atlassian. Previously, I served as Associate Director of GenForward, a research organization committed to advancing justice through data by surveying and amplifying the voices of young adults of color in the United States, as well as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware, an Editor for a research column at The Washington Post, and Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Chicago.
I earned my PhD in Politics and Social Policy from Princeton University and am a proud native of Southeast San Diego, located on the unceded territory of the Kumeyaay Nation. My pronouns are he/they (English) / él/elle (Spanish).
Princeton University
PhD in Politics and Social Policy
Princeton University
MA in Politics
University of Southern California (USC)
BA in Psychology & Political Science
For more info, connect with me on LinkedIn
I’ve held several roles at GenForward, including:
The work of tenure-track professors is varied and broad. Among others, my duties and responsibilities included:
The Monkey Cage’s mission is to draw on the expertise of academic scholarship to provide in-depth analysis, illuminate the news, and inform civic discussion. As an Editor, my responsibilities included:
Affiliated with Department of Political Science and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture, my work included:
I held several roles and responsibilities at Princeton, including:
I received my Ph.D. from Princeton University’s Joint Degree Program – a collaborative effort of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Departments of Politics, Economics, Psychology, Demography, and Sociology that combines work in a primary social science (e.g., Politics) with a multidisciplinary perspective on the problems of social inequality and economic insecurity at a global scale.
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To contact me, please fill out the following form or send an email to vlad.medenica@gmail.com